


"Puppy"

by hullabalxo



Series: The Dorian Universe [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Gen, Kinda, also don't try to make sense to the dates and stuff, i suck at that, just so you know, werewolves here are like the ones in teen wolf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-03-30 19:49:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19034461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hullabalxo/pseuds/hullabalxo
Summary: Many things can trigger a memory. A date, a name, a place... A certain person showing up at the worst possible time. Ness Dorian knows that too well. But, just in case she had any doubts, the universe just decided to remind her- Death isn't as permanent as it used to be.





	1. {1}

“I mean, I’m glad I’m not dead, of course,” I clarified, grinning, “but one of these days I’m gonna get back at him, and you can write that down.” 

“Haven't you heard the saying, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'?", asked the youngest brother, comically. I raised up the drink in my hand and spoke words of wisdom.

"Sam", I smiled, "What doesn't kill me better run."

Dean choked with his beer, laughing. The bar wasn't really crowded, but it made sense since it was still pretty early. The bartender looked at me suspiciously, trying to understand the nature of my relationship with Sam and Dean. It was the second night in a row I was sitting with the brothers- And she had her eyes on the older one.

"Seriously?" I asked. Sam, sitting at his side, had started laughing too. "What are you laughing at?" I insisted, moaning.

"You are like five feet tall, don't blame me", defended himself the green-eyed men sitting at my left. I couldn't help to growl at them, thing they took as a joke and kept laughing.

We had met last night, but everyone has heard from the Winchesters by now. Of course, I knew there was another hunter in town since every place I went to investigate had already been visited, but I was genuinely surprised to find out it was them.

"So, Ness..." I tracked them down to this bar, where I found them discussing my case. Funny how it ended in a newborn friendship.

"I hear you, Sam."

"We're going after this thing tonight. Are you coming?"

"I wouldn't miss it," I said, confidently.

The clock in the wall marked eight past ten when we went back to their hotel room. 

This was an easy case for experimented hunters like us, but it's not the type of case I like to work on teams.

A werewolf.

We already knew who it was. A thirty-something man named Alan, divorced, unemployed and a total douchebag. He had only killed his ex-boss, but he left a track right back to him. Probably a recently turned werewolf, since everything he was doing was so... inexperienced. Really easy.

The problem, then? He would smell me. He would tell I'm a werewolf, like him. And he might say something. And he might ruin this for me.

Sam closed the door after him and we went straight to the small table, where they kept the info of the case. We discussed the plan twice, ordered Chinese food and, when the clock marked ten o'clock, they grabbed their guns and offered me a knife.

A silver knife.

I shook my head, denying. "I keep mine in my car."

"Go get it, then. We'll go together, right?" asked the tallest brother. "In the Impala?".

I nodded in response, as I opened the motel door and walked out. The room was on the first level, so I went directly to my van. 

It's true, I'm not just a werewolf. My family is a rare species that technically does fall under the werewolf category, but we are nothing like them.

I don't eat only hearts, and, well, my transformation is truly more complex than theirs.

But, well, I'm still technically a pureblood werewolf. I've only heard of a hunter who knew about the existence of our kind, but he has been dead for a while now, and the ignorance helps us get by unnoticed, so we want it to stay that way: Our species are purely fiction.

I opened the back door of the van and checked inside. Nothing. I crawled inside and closed the door behind my back. Rule number three: Don't give anyone the chance to surprise you. From my arsenal, I took my favourite: The gun my father made for me on my twelfth birthday, based on Samuel Colt's notes. 

I left the gun in my bag, along with ammunition, a shotgun loaded with silver and two small blades, made completely out of silver too. I couldn't use them, but if anything went wrong, the Winchester brothers might find them useful.

I hung the messenger bag around my neck, and when I was closing the door, I heard the boys leaving the room. I felt the cold of the night hugging me as I ran to their encounter. Sam carried a bag too. Dan pulled out the car keys and smiled.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Let's hunt this fucker."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My head went over every possible scenario where they find out about me, but somehow I managed not to panic in a visible way on our way to Adam's house.

When the car pulled over, I saw the familiar footprints coming from the backyard and getting lost on the pavement.

"We're late!" I moaned, pissed off. His smell was leaving a track, but I didn't know how to follow it without making them suspect. "I bet he went after his ex-wife..." I commented, recognizing the direction he took.

"She cheated on him, right?" remembered Dean. Sam nodded, with a small gesture of worry in his face.

Right before I could keep talking, my phone started ringing. 'Champion', by Fall Out Boy flooded the ambient as I hurried to reach my phone inside my bag. The screen illuminated the dark night as I picked up the phone call.

"Mamá, hola. ¿Qué pasa?" I asked. "Everything fine back there?"

"Yes, 'mija, everything fine. Quería ver cómo andabas tú, por las dudas. Acá tus hermanas están como locas, no sé qué les pasa. Your dad is acting weird too. Something is happening, linda."

"Sí, ma, ya sé. La luna ésta me está afectando a mi también." I made a pause, remembering the hunters in front of me. They looked at me,  expectant. "Pero no te preocupes, que yo estoy bien de bien. Ahora estoy cazando, así que te tengo que dejar. Pero tengan cuidado, please." I practically begged "No dejes que nadie se convierta, o los pueden encontrar los cazadores, ¿bueno? Y yo ando lejos de casa, no los puedo ayudar si pasa algo."

"Dale, mi amor. ¿Me llamas, bien?" (*)

"Yeah, of course. Te amo, and be careful." I hanged up the phone, and shoved it in my pocket. When I looked up again, Dean broke the silence.

"Now, who was that?" he asked.

"My mom. She wanted to check on me."

"Oh" muttered Sam. He looked... upset. Confused, maybe. _He didn't know Spanish, did he?_

_ No. No way. And besides, I have a strong accent, hard to translate. And I didn't say anything compromising. Right? _

Shaking those ideas out of my head, we went back to the car, heading towards Alan's ex's house. When we got there, I jumped out of the car.

"Sam, me and you can get in for the front door, and Dean can..."

"Whoa, sweetheart, what about the plan?" interrupted Dean, offended. Not used to follow orders, as I heard.

"There's no plan, Dean. She could be dead by now."

"You go for the front, we'll go for the back."

Frowning, I rolled my eyes. I took out my gun and started walking. They were going to talk about me, I just knew it. And it was bad.

I knocked on the door, but there wasn't any response. I kicked down the door as I rushed inside the building. I could hear her heartbeat, getting slower and slower. She was dying. In the other hand, the werewolf was aware of my presence too. I rushed to the second floor of the house, meeting Sam and Dean in the way.

"She's in the bathroom, come on!" I ordered.

"How do you..?" started to ask Dean.

"Not now" I interrupted. "Just go!" _Before the night's over, they'll know the truth,_ I thought, _Let's make it worth it._

I left the boys headed to the bathroom while I took off in the direction of the bedroom.

I opened the door slowly. My gun went inside before me. Suddenly, somebody grabbed me by my wrist and threw me across the room. I heard a crack, but the adrenaline numbed the pain before I could even feel it. I hit what I think was a desk filled with books and photos. My vision went blurry as I tried to get up. I heard practically nothing, my head was spinning and I could taste the blood in my mouth. But the smell. Oh, that smell. I recognized it. This wasn't a regular werewolf.

This was a pureblood.

"Well! Hello there, puppy" he said, remarking the word. "Look at you, all grown up." I fought the dizziness and tried to get up. My legs weren't responding, so I tried crawling. My head hurt, but I knew that voice. From where? Was he part of Mia's army? If I could only focus my sight...

The wolf in front of me, seeing my intentions, grabbed me by my cheeks, lifting half of my body in the air, and observed me slowly, analyzing me. But so did I. Then, I saw it. The blind eye. The scar that started under his ear and kept going until it met his hair and got lost in it. He smiled, enjoying the situation. "So you recognized me, right? Took you long enough. I mean, after all, we're..."

"Ness!" Dean. Finally. Sam was right behind him. He held on tight to his knife and attacked the monster in front of me. The other brother surrounded him and went after me. Alan left me fell back to the floor and pushed Sam into the closet, as Dean picked me up. The werewolf threw a bookshelf in front of the door, locking Sam inside.

The younger brother tried to get out, but it was useless. Alan turned his head around, spotting us.  _Oh, no._

"Dean, watch out!" I yelled, but it was too late. The monster grabbed him by his jacket's neck and threw him in the other direction. Dean tried to get up, to get his knife, that had landed two feet away from him, but the wolf kicked it to my direction carelessly.

Silently, I crawled to the weapon, while the fight continued. I felt my own blood fell through my face, but I kept going. The smell of blood and flesh flood the air- Dean was hurt. I couldn't see or hear anything besides the knife and my own thoughts. When I finally reached it, I focused on Dean's heartbeat and slide the weapon in that direction, ignoring the burning sensation in my hand.

My clarity was coming back and I got up how I could. Dean had the knife in his hand, but he was terribly hurt. Alan went back at him, but Dean stabbed him in the shoulder. With his good arm, he threw Dean against the closet where Sam was.

Dean was aiming for the heart, but he missed. Alan took the knife and stabbed him in the left thigh. Dean yelled in pain, to pass out immediately after. The werewolf looked back at me, grinning.

"Where were we?" He walked towards me, slowly, and crouched in front of me "Ah, right. You were just remembering me, weren't you?"

"Nessa, run!" yelled Sam, hoarsely, from inside the closet.

"Leave Sam and Dean alone!" I ordered. He laughed in my face. His hand dropped Dean's knife and he focused his attention entirely on me.

"Sam and Dean... As in Sam and Dean _Winchester?_ " He asked, faking surprise. My heart stopped for a second, scared. What was he going to do? "Don't you know that I had something personal against their father, Puppy?" My muscles were so tense that it hurt. Only one person had ever called me Puppy, but it can't be. It's not possible. "I guess, now that John is dead, I could take it off with his children," he added, enjoying the panic in my face.

Dean wasn't moving. Oh, fuck. Alan turned back to human, and the name my brain was trying to ignore escaped through my lips. It was him.

_William_.

My uncle.

I felt my heart stop. Not only that, everything around me stopped. Everything, except me. Then, in a flash, an idea crossed my mind. He was in his human form. And I could transform faster than him.

I let it happen. I felt my heart beating faster, my breathing getting stronger and my entire body starting to change. He noticed it but didn't have time to do anything, because in two seconds it was done and I was attacking, with everything I had.

It might have been the moon, or maybe the fact that my friends were in danger, or a combination of both, but before I could realize, I was on top of him. I nailed my claws in his neck as deeps as I could, making him growl in pain. He didn't attack back, he just watched me, letting all my rage take over. He seemed more than just surprised, he was... delighted.

I threw him outside the room and I ran to the destroyed desk, where my gun waited, abandoned. I retired my claws and I picked it up as fast as I could.

By the time I turned around he was already gone. Fuck. I moved the bookshelf letting Sam free, but I ran off before he could see me.

I went after William, following his scent. The transformation had healed my wounds... At least enough that I could chase him through the house without falling to my knees.

He was still in the stairs when I ran into him. He was trying to turn, but he could barely walk.

"You should have never come after me,” I said, catching his attention. As soon as he heard my voice, he stopped. He turned around slowly, grinning. "That's why you did it? Fake a life here? Leave all those clues behind you? I know you're smarter than that. It was on purpose, wasn't it?" I yelled, upset.

His face and clothes were soaked in his own blood. He couldn't even stand straight, but he seemed pleased anyway. The fucking psycho.

"I underestimated you, Vane. You are really clever. Send my greetings to your dad. He trained you well."

Without hesitation, I aimed the gun to his chest.

"Dad would have killed for you, Will. When you left him, he was devastated. He never recovered from you. You broke him." I accused. My heart was falling apart. How was I going to tell my family any of this?

"He should have followed me. We could have been the kings of this world." He said, angry. He shut down for a couple of minutes and I waited. I needed to hear it. Then, his eyes started shining, as he added with excitement. "But it's not too late for you. Join me, Puppy. Many have already, we ca-". I shoot.

His body fell to the floor, lifeless. Even more blood started to come out from his chest, falling to the floor and painting it red. This hunt had not gone the way I expected, at all. And I'm not sure if that's good or bad, being honest.

Finally letting go, I turned back to my human form. Exhausted, I rested my head on the wall next to me. My wounds weren't fully healed yet and I was still covered blood, but mostly, I was just tired.

I turned back to the bedroom to check on the guys, but before I had given a single step, I found a gun pointing at my head.

Dean, with a cold-blooded expression I had never seen before, was aiming the Colt right to my face. Sam was standing next to him, with an indescribable face.

A cold sweat ran through my spine. I froze, terrified. _Shit_. Now this is more familiar.

"Ness, put down the gun", asked Sam in an authoritarian tone, holding a silver knife in his hand.

I threw the gun softly at them, and put my hands up.

"This is what you were talking about on the phone, right?" Yelled Dean. If I didn't know better, I'd thought he was hurt. "About how you'd use us to kill him? What's next in the plan, killing us?"

"What? No!" I said, but I knew it was useless. No hunter, ever, had cared about what I did to help or protect them: I was a monster, and I had to die.

"Dean, calm down", asked Sam, trying to stay relaxed, but failing miserably. I could hear his heartbeat, pumping fast.

"I can't calm down, Sam! I can't because she could have got us both killed."

"That's not true!" I interrupted. My voice was shaking, and so was I. There was no way to ignore the fact that I wasn't getting out of this alive. "I didn't know it was him!"

"Yeah, about that;" interrupted Sam, aggressively, "Who is _'him'?_ Or _was_ , since you shoot him in cold blood like five seconds ago."

"He was my uncle. My father's brother. He betrayed him..." I couldn't help but look to the floor. He was family, after all. "I... We all thought he was dead."

"You thought wrong, obviously," attacked Dean.

"Hey give me a break, will you?" I snapped, "I just shoot the man who taught me how to ride a bike, I don't need this right now."

Dean hesitated for a second, but kept the gun in the air.

"Listen, he went completely insane after my brother died. He wanted to kill all the hunters he could find and then take over the world or some shit. My father was so disappointed, that he made him leave the pack," I explained, slowly. I didn't care if I was going to die. All I wanted was them to know that Will wasn't always the monster they knew. "We heard a hunter got his lead and assumed the worst. My dad, he..." I broke down. My knees hesitated, and I could physically feel my soul crashing to pieces inside of me. "Shit, he was always there for him. He would have done anything for him, anything. But he kept lying to everyone, doing bad things and..." Tears attacked me and I closed my eyes, in pain. "This is all my fault," I muttered, almost crying.

Sam put his knife away, confused. He put his hand on Dean's shoulder and he put down his own weapon, untrusting.

"What do you mean?"

"My brother died because of me. If he were alive, uncle William would be the fine, and dad... Dad would be happy. _Shit_ , everything I had to do was..."

Without me being able to control it, tears were falling down my face. The brothers stayed silent,  expectant. I had to explain them, and maybe... Maybe they would understand, even though I knew it was a long shot. I had to try.

"My brother didn't just die, he got killed. By a hunter wh-" A known sound interrupted me. My cell phone was ringing again. Without moving, I looked at them, asking for permission with my eyes. Sam nodded.

I got my phone out and answered the call. Before I put it in my ear, he ordered:

"Speaker, now."

"And stick to English, _por favor,_ " Added Dean.

I obeyed.

"Hello?"

It was my mother's voice. I couldn't help to smile.

"Hey, mom. Uh, listen" I asked. "You are on speaker. And no Spanish either, okay? I'm having a situation here."

"You fucking idiot!" She yelled at me, pissed. "How many times are you gonna call me to tell me you are going to die? Are you trying to make me go crazy?" The Winchester traded looks of confusion and curiosity.

"No, mom, listen. This time, I don't think... It's kind of serious..."

"Shit...” she said, with a tone I knew well. "Goddamnit, Vanesa. Didn't I told you to stay away from hunters?"

"¡Mamá..." **~~(*Mom..!)~~** I started, but she cut me out. I had stopped crying; not because I was feeling better, but because I had to be strong.

"Didn't. _I. Told you?_ "

"Yes, mom."

"And yet you never listen. Just like your brother. You both with your crazy ideas of changing the world. It got him killed and now it's gonna get you killed..."

"Mom," I interrupted, but she ignored me. The brothers listened carefully to the conversation, without a single word.

"... How am I going to tell your father?"

"Mom. Listen. William came after me."

Silent. The woman on the other side of the phone held her breath, trying to process my words.

" _What?"_

"He's dead. I... Just, tell dad I'm sorry." I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, but it was impossible. If I don't say it now, I never will. "I'm sorry for what I said that night, I'm sorry for running off... and I'm sorry I never called him after. I shouldn't have left you, it was wrong. I was..."

"Oh, shut up, you idiot. He's not mad at you, he's just hurt that you don't want to be like him. You are an alpha, after all. And after what that Winchester man did to your brother, he..."

"Wait, what did she just say?" interrupted Dean. Both hunters looked at me,  expectant an answer, completely confused. I bit my lip, nervously. If I wasn't screwed enough...

"Ohh, so you are the douchebag who's trying to kill my little girl!” Attacked her, fulfilled with rage. "Finally grew a pair and entered in this conversation."

"Mom, no," I asked, with no response. She just kept talking above the sound of my voice.

"I don't know who you are, but hear me out, and remember these words: If you hurt her, I _will_ find you. And I don't care about my beliefs, I will tear you to little pieces and feed you to my dogs, understood?"

"Ma'am, we're not going to hurt your daughter, I promise." Tried to calm her Sam. I sighed in relief. I was going to die, yes, but not today. "But I need you to tell me what were you talking about."

"Why do you care? You people have been hunting us since forever, and none of you asked before shooting."

"We... Well, we are sorry about your loss and..." said Sam, but got interrupted for Dean.

"We knew John Winchester, and it's hard for me to believe that he would..."

"Oh, shut up!" She said, hurt and offended. "You wanna know what's hard to believe? That I had to play along to the lie that he was bitten and had attacked his little sister, when things were really different."

My chest started to ache as the memories of that morning came back. I tried to say something, to tell her to stop, to anything, but my entire body was in shock. She just kept talking, angry, upset and really hurt. This wound never really healed. I laid my back against the wall again and Sam took the phone out of my hand. Dean looked at the device in a complete trance, not leaving it out of sight for one second, like expecting to wake up from a dream.

"I had to receive the hunter that killed my son into my house, and lie about how he had been acting weird and the kind of bullshit you hunters like to hear. I had to tell him I was thankful that at least my little girl was safe from that monster. _That_ is hard to believe. That a six-year-old saw her brother shoot to death in front of her, and had to pretend she was a victim of him in order to protect herself and her family." Sam and Dean listened in silence. They were in shock. Sam seemed like he was feeling guilty, but Dean... He looked betrayed. "So don't try to fucking tell me what's hard to believe, young men. You might have had it hard, but I assure you we had it worst."

"Mom, it's fine," I tried to say, but my throat betrayed me.

"I'm sorry,” Sam said, extending my mobile phone back at me. I looked at him. I had never seen a hunter this way. Hurt, vulnerable.

"It's okay,” I assured, and then, putting the phone in my ear, I continued, "Mom, there was no need for all that. You can't talk about Andrew, mom, it will get you killed." She, on the other side of the phone, sighed. "I'll call you. I think." I made a pause and added, quietly, "If I don't, you know where to go. Under the fridge, there's something you need to see. It's a small favor I need you to do, okay? I love you. I love you all."

"I love you too, idiot. And never mention William to your father, alright? You know how..."

"Yes, I know. Stay safe, mom."

"Goodbye, my love."

I hanged up the phone and put it in my back pocket. My heart was beating fast, and my eyes were burning. Dean, without saying a single word, avoided me and his brother and practically jumped his way down the stairs. Sam looked deeply into my eyes, like he was trying to apologize, before he went after him, calling his name. I stood there, sobbing silently, without a clue of what to do now. My life wasn't in danger anymore, but this night was _far_ from over.

 

 

 

 

 

(*): "Mom, hey. What's up?" I asked. "Everything fine back there?"

"Yes, 'kiddo, everything fine. I wanted to see how you were doing, just in case. Your sisters here are going nuts, I don't know what's gotten into them. Your dad is acting weird too. Something is happening, sweetie."

"Yeah, mom, I know. The moon is affecting me too." I made a pause, remembering the hunters in front of me. They looked at me,  expectant. "But don't you worry, I'm just fine. I'm hunting now, so I got to go. But be careful, please." I practically begged "Don't let anyone turn, or hunters may find you, alright? And I'm far from home, I can't help you if something happens."

"Alright, my love. Call me, will ya'?"

"Yeah, of course. I love you, and be careful."

 


	2. {2}

Dean was leaning in his car when Sam caught up with him.

"Are you okay?" He asked. It was a stupid ass question, and he knew it, but what else could he say on a situation like this?

"I'm pretty fucking far from okay, Sammy," Dean answered. Sam put his hand on Dean's shoulder, slightly surprised by the way he was acting. Or, rather, the way he wasn't acting. His big brother was upset, of course, but he wasn't defensive about it, like he usually is. He was just... not okay. And he wasn't trying to ignore that. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Dean. I don't want to kill her," He said, testing the waters. He was not going to hurt her, he had decided, but he wanted to be sure they both agreed on that. "I mean, I promised her mother I wouldn't".

"No, I know," said the green-eyed, "but what-..." Dean stopped and reformulated his question: "Do you really think dad killed her brother?"

"Yes, I do," admitted Sam. He didn't want to start a fight, but what other choice did he have? Lie? Yeah, that doesn't usually end well. His brother looked at him in the eyes for one second before looking back to the building he had just left.

"Me too."

They stayed silent, thinking, feeling all their wounds bleed, and trying to decide what to do next.

Not so far away, Ness had already started to pick herself up, and she was slowly getting back in control of her emotions. She went back inside the bedroom where the fight had started and picked up the weapons that were all across the floor. Covering the skin in her hands with her jacket, she picked up the silver knives and when she stepped outside the door, she smelled her: The woman.

She dropped everything and she ran to the bathroom downstairs where the scent of her blood was stronger, just to find it empty. The boys- They probably moved her. Trying to focus, she followed the sound of her heartbeat. She couldn't help but feel terrible about it. She had completely forgotten her. Who does that?

She ended up six feet down the hallway, in front of a closet door. Ness opened the door, slowly. The woman was terrified- crying quietly, bleeding and hugging her knees. Her brown hair fell on her face, making it impossible that Ness could see her face.

"It's okay, I'm here to help," she said, trying to calm her. The woman, whose name according to Ness was Eliane, looked at her hopefully.

"The other men...- They told me to hide here," she explained, her voice shaking.

"I know, I'm with them. But it's over now." Was it? "It's all over." Ness lifted her up and carried Eliane in her arms heading to the exit. "I'm taking you to a hospital, okay?"

"But what about that thing?" She asked, crying in fear again. "It wasn't... human".

"We took care of it, alright? He's dead." Eliane looked down, processing everything that had just happened. Her life was never going to be the same again. Ness opened the door with her hips, since her arms were busy, and her eyes meet Sam's, who looked at her sadly.

When he noticed the woman, he went running towards them and helped her to get on her feet. His brother opened the car's back door and tried to talk with the hunter, but she interrupted him; "The corpse and the weapons are still inside." He nodded in agreement but tried to insist. Like she was reading his mind, she shook her head and kept talking. "Dean, not now. The job comes first. We'll talk later".

Dean knew she was right, of course. And even when he didn't care about the job anymore, he left his brother taking care of the woman and followed the werewolf back into the house.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

(Ness POV)

Neither of us said anything during the entire time it took to erase our tracks and burn the body in the woods. Dean was hurt really bad, so I asked him to let me do the cleaning and heavy lifting.

But after, when we were surrounded by nature, it hit me. Everything that had happened tonight came back to me like a flood.

A shiver went down my spine, shaking my entire body. I forgot about the hunters standing a few steps behind me, I forgot about the explanations I had to give and the forgiveness I had to ask for- Because I had killed him. I had killed my uncle.

My vision got blurry as my eyes filled with tears again. My lungs and my throat burned with every breath I took and my chest felt like I was being stabbed by a hundred knives. I covered my face with my hands, boiling in shame and regret. 

"Vanessa?" Called Sam, worried. But I didn't answer: My eyes couldn't move from the burning body.

My legs betrayed me and I fell to the ground in my knees. A second later I was being held by the Winchesters. 

"Ness!" Yelled Dean, shaking softly my shoulder. 

"Are you okay?" Insisted Sam. But their voices sounded far, far away, and I could only picture my dad's reaction to finding out about this. I needed to tell him. I had to, even if mom told me not to. Because that would be worst. Lie to his face, when I know that William's body was turned to ashes and buried in a nameless grave in the middle of nowhere- where no one could ever find him again...

The brothers kept talking, but I couldn't understand a single thing. It all felt like a nightmare.

"I'm so sorry..." I murmured, and my words got lost in the fire, "This is all my fault".

A jolt brought me back to reality. My eyes slowly identified Dean's face, looking me with an expression I hadn't seen on him before.

"Listen, kid. I don't know what the hell happened with your family- I don't know what have you done and honestly, I don't care." I made an effort to give his words a meaning, trying to stay connected to reality, and feeling his strong hands placed on my arms. "None of this was your fault. If what you said is true..." His eyes met Sammy's for a moment, communicating in a way I couldn't understand. "He was a monster, Ness. And there's nothing you could have done to change that."

I wiped out the tears in my cheeks and he let go of me. "That's not true, Dean," I said, slowly. "He was not a monster- And I changed that.

"I knew the rules: Don't talk about anything related to us. Don't show anyone. Don't transform or use your powers under any circumstances. But..." I closed my eyes, ashamed. This guilt had been eating me alive since what it seemed an eternity. "I should have stayed silent. I just had to correct the hunter. I had to be a smart ass. He wasn't interrogating me, but I overheard the conversation and corrected him, because I loved being right.

"The werewolf who had attracted got hunted, but he somehow connected him to my brother... We were playing in the park when it happened. We went into the woods like we always did, and when he turned..." I made a pause to slow down my breathing to avoid the tears. Sam looked at Dean with his heartbreaking, and he did the same. They had lost each other so many times now, that it wasn't hard to imagine what I felt like, it was just painful. "John shoot twice." I continued. It was easy to forget that it was their father I was talking about. "I started screaming and he had to drag me away from Andrew's corpse. I wanted to hurt him so bad..." I admitted. "I wanted to... But I didn't because Andrew wouldn't do it."

Dean had let go of my arms a while ago and he was just listening to what I said, but Sam kneeled beside me and put his arm gently on my shoulders, making me feel better.

"Ness, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Said the older brother, calmly. I denied, shaking my head.

"I told this story only three times in my life, all of them skipping parts and lying. He deserved better. I need to get it out of my chest. I need to tell the entire story of what happened that morning.

"He took me back home and told my mother, pregnant at the time, that my brother had been bitten by a werewolf, and he had become a monster... She looked at me in a way I could never forget. When your father left, she called mine and told him to drop everything. There was no body to bury, so we packed our things and left town that day."

Sam opened his eyes suddenly remembering; "I think I read something about it in dad's journal. 2003, in Texas?" He asked me. I nodded, quietly.

"You were one of his biggest victories," Said Dean, with a tone of disappointment in his voice, " _the little girl he saved from her own brother,_ " He quoted. "It was his favourite example of why monsters are not human in any way."

I took a deep breath before forcing a small laugh.

"You know? It's ironic. Andrew was dad's favourite example of why hunters cannot be trusted..."

Both brothers smiled, trying to lighten up the situation. The fire was almost extinguished and the sun was completely out.

"Life is just a big bad joke" muttered Dean, smiling, with his typical "I-Don't-Care" attitude.

I got up and brushed off the dirt in my pants. Sam followed me, imitating my actions. Dean stood there, and when he was sure we noticed he wasn't moving, he said; "What are you going to do now?".

"First off, I'm going to call my mom, tell her I'm fine. After, there's something I have to do that can't wait, and then..." I stopped suddenly. I didn't know what was I going to do after. "And then I don't know." Both hunters looked at me in silence,  expectant. Dean stood up and got a step closer to me.

"Are you going to keep hunting?" He asked, directly.

"If it wasn't for you, he would have killed me- I'm alive thanks to you." I took a deep breath, gaining courage. "So if you want me to quit, I'll try to. I know it's hard to leave this, but if you want me out, I'll do it."

Sam frowned, confused. Before saying anything, he looked at his brother, trying to see if he was thinking the same.

"Ness, we don't want you to stop hunting." Said Dean when he understood Sam's thoughts. "We want to know what you want to do".

"You can never have too many allies in this job." agreed Sam.

"Oh," I muttered, thinking. I stayed silent a couple of seconds, analyzing my options. "I want to keep hunting. This is my life. But not alone." The Winchesters traded a look I couldn't understand. "I think I'm going to ask Garth if he knows any-".

"Wait, you know Garth?" Interrupted me Dean. I nodded as I started explaining:

"Bobby Singer put me in touch with him many years ago, when we were both starting. It's fun to be around, but not the type of guy you hunt with, so we lost touch," Dean raised both brows, agreeing.

"Until he was bitten," he assumed out loud.

"Until he was bitten..." I confirmed. "I'm kinda glad that we had met before, you know?"

"You were friends with Bobby?" Asked Sam.

"Well, not friends. He didn't know, so... We talked sometimes, I stayed at his place when I needed a safe place and stuff. I don't think he considered me as a friend".

"He probably did, though," said Sam. "Consider you a friend, I mean."

"I hope so."

They seemed pleased with my answers, so we headed back to their hotel room, where my van was parked.

When I stepped out of the vehicle, I remembered that my mom was waiting for a call from me, and I pulled out my cellphone as fast as I could, only to see that its battery was dead.

"Shit. I need a phone." The brothers checked their own phones, and I found out that they were having the same issue than me.

"There's a phone in the motel" offered Dean. I nodded and followed him as he walked into the room. I dialed the only number I had memorized in my life, and I waited.

The phone rang twice before somebody picked up.

"Hello?" said my father, with a tone of desperation in his voice. In a reflex, I straightened my back and stood firmly, even when I knew he couldn't see me.

"Dad." That's all that I managed to say. _'Dad'. Oh God, I'm pathetic._ Dean noticed my change of posture but didn't say a thing. He just listened, curious, to what I was saying.

"Vanessa? Are you okay?"

"Yes, sir, I'm fine." The whole situation felt awkward. My father used to be loving and caring, but after Andrew's death, he turned my life into a permanent military camp. So the fact that he had actually asked me if I was 'okay' was kind of a big deal. "I handled everything and..."

"Good! Because that's what I trained you to do." He yelled, upset. I clenched my fists, uncomfortable, and bit my lip hard. "And maybe, next time, you don't call your mother in the middle of the night to tell her that you're going to die." He said, cold and angrily. He always managed to make me feel like crap. I sat on the bed behind me, my back turned on Dean, ignoring his persistent look.

"I- I didn't-" _Shit. Focus, Goddamnit._ "She called me, sir, I didn't mean to..."

"So you are calling her a liar now?"

"No! That's not what I..."

"Listen, Vanessa, I love you; more than anything." I nodded to the phone, quietly. "But you are reckless. And this hunting thing of yours... It's ridiculous. So when you are ready to admit that you are wrong and that you should have listened to me, you can come home with me and your mother."

I don't know what I was feeling, but there was a lot of it. And it sucked. He always made me feel this way, even when he didn't do it on purpose.

I reunited the remaining bits of confidence in me, and, calmly, said:

"Tell my mother I'm fine. I will call her soon, it's a promise. I didn't mean to bother you. Goodbye, father."

I hung up quickly before he could answer, and my body stood still with my hand on the phone. I replayed the entire thing in my head. My words had sounded robotic- just like his.

"Oh my God..." I sighed, loudly, letting my body fall to the bed. Maybe it was all the emotions I had today, but I felt like crying. But then I remembered Dean, and when I searched for him I found Sam sitting on the bed beside mine, looking at me with sadness, and his big brother watching me in a slight shock. The looked at each other, again, sharing their ideas and thoughts completely out of my understanding. For a small second, I wondered if Andrew and I could do something like that if he were still alive. I dumped that idea right away.

"That was your dad?" Asked Sam, carefully. I nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that."

I sat, crossing my legs in the bed.

"Are you okay?" Insisted Dean.

I took a deep breath before answering.

"Yeah. He's always like that." I did an effort to sound happy, or at least not like crap, but my voice came out just like that phone call had left me: bad.

"He shouldn't treat you like that," Sam said, trying to encourage me.

"I know. That's why I'm here and not there, doing what he tells me to do."

Dean gave his brother a quick glance before asking me.

"You ran away?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Dean's voice sounded hurt and Sam noticed it. "So, you left your family because of him?"

I looked at him in the eyes, trying to understand it. What was he trying to say?

"Yes," I answered.

"Well, I bet he was doing the best he could, and..."

"Dean!" Interrupted Sam, upset. But before he could keep talking, I stopped him.

"Dean, I know he did the best he could. Okay? I know it." I put my feet on the floor, firmly, making sure I had their attention. Sam had relaxed a little bit and even when Dean was still defensive, he was listening to me. "But that doesn't give him the right to treat me like he does. That is not an excuse for everything that he did to me and all that he put me through. I love him, with all my heart, but he is not someone I can have around in my life anymore." Dean let his shoulders down, and I took it as a victory. "I had to get away from him for my own good, and I will never be sorry for that."

Sam looked back at Dean,  expectant, and he limited himself to nod with his head.

"Alright then," said Sam, trying to smile. "Want me to walk you to your room?"

I chuckled.

"Nah, don't worry. I'm going to pick up some food before."

"Are you going to the store?" Asked Dean. He was going to keep talking but he stopped himself when he saw my face.

"Uhh..." I muttered, uncomfortable. "Not exactly."

"Oh." Sam looked at his big brother, waiting for him to understand.

"Oh _shi-_ Right, right."

I laughed a little. My father's words kept echoing in my head.

I got up, grabbed my bag and walked towards the door. Before I could open it, Sam interrupted me.

"I'm sorry to ask, but how exactly-"

"I'm going to the butcher shop we passed when we were coming here." I stopped him.

"Alright then." Said Dean, smiling. I left the room right after.

The morning breeze hugged me as soon as I stepped outside. I headed towards my van and took the motorbike in the back.


	3. {3}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is super short, the story could've been over already but I wanted to give it a nice ending- So here you go.

The plastic bag was nearly transparent and I could see clearly it's content, which made me nervous. To anyone else, it could pass as simple meat or something, but the brothers would identify it and that was bothering me.

I knocked on the door of their room, hiding carefully my food behind me. Sam opened the door.

"Hey, everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's just..." He made a little innocent smirk and I stopped thinking. Oh shit, he's cute. "Uh, I... I brought some pie as a peace offering... For Dean. Uh, and you. You too." He raised both brows, smiling, making fun of me. I was no longer the confident hunter he had met two nights ago, now I was an anxious wreck. Oh God, kill me already.

"Thanks, Ness. Call me if you need anything." I extended the bag and when he took it, I noticed my mistake instantly when he peeked inside.

"I'm sorry! Wrong bag!" Even when he looked a little shocked, disgusted even, he laughed it off and returned it.

"It's okay. Really." We swapped foods and I started walking towards the stairs. I heard the door closing and, using my abilities, I heard him laughing.

"Dean," he called, "She brought you pie."

"What's with the face, then?"

"Just... Don't take her to dinner. _Ever._ "

The last thing I heard, before getting too far from them, was Dean's laugh.


End file.
